A Unique European Urban Experience
Transcription
A Unique European Urban Experience
A Unique European Urban Experience The diversity of the European urban culture through AN ALBUM ° A SHOW ° AN EXHIBITION ° A MOVIE ° A WEBSITE www.diversidad-experience.com Editorial DIVERSIDAD WILL OPEN THIS BEGINNING OF A DECADE WITH A PROGRAM EVEN MORE AMBITIOUS THAN THE PREVIOUS EDITION BACK IN 2008. FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS, CULTURAL EVENTS WILL GATHER DOZENS OF URBAN CULTURE ARTISTS AND CELEBRITIES, COMING FROM ALL OVER EUROPE. BEYOND DIVERSIDAD’S COMMON THREAD THAT WILL REPRESENT THE URBAN CULTURES, NEVER A CULTURAL PROGRAM HAS BEEN SO POSITIVE AND AMBITIOUS. DIVERSIDAD IS A PERCURSORY PROJECT THAT IS GOING TO OVERTAKE THE SO-CALLED LANGUAGE BARRIER. IT INTENDS TO GENERATE CREATIONS THAT WILL EMPHASIZE THE INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN ARTISTS OF DIFFERENT GENERATIONS AND NATIONALITIES. DIFFERENCE IS OUR ASSET! DIVERSITY, OUR DRIVING FORCE! CREATIVITY, OUR TOOL! ASSOCIATING THREE LANGUAGES IN ONE SONG WILL NOT BE AN OBSTACLE BUT A MOTIVATION TO CREATE SOMETHING EVEN MORE ORIGINAL. WE ARE VERY EXITED TO BE SOON TOURING ACROSS EUROPE WITH A CREW OF ARTISTS FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, ALL REPRESENTATIVE OF OUR CONTINENT! GATHERING SO MANY ARTISTS OF DIFFERENT CULTURAL HERITAGE AROUND SUCH A PROJECT WILL BE AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE AND A GREAT IMPULSE TO CREATE THE FIRST CULTURAL PROJECT GENUINELY EUROPEAN. WE ALREADY HOPE IT WILL INSPIRE OTHER INITIATIVES AND CREATIONS. HERE IS OUR GOAL… The Diversidad team Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 2 Diversidad: a global & multi-media program (2009-2012) Diversidad, a cultural program launched by the European Music Office with the support of the European Commission, aims at promoting the Urban culture through an album, a show, an exhibition, a movie and a website. Diversidad targets the young Europeans eager to discover new trends in music, culture, entertainment, fashion and sport. Within the Urban Culture, Diversidad wants to: -Focus on the wealth and diversity of the artistic creations -Promote the exchange among the European youth -Help with the artists’ mobility in Europe This program will be multidisciplinary and will develop different actions that will each help promote the Diversidad Mariama (DE), Pitcho (BE), GMB (NL), Shot (HR), Remi (HR) artistic world across Europe: The 5 Diversidad actions: An album: It will be a real collaborative album created in studio not just a sampler of European tracks. The Diversidad album will symbolize the spirit of an artistic collaboration between some of the most emblematic rappers, DJs, and beat-makers in Europe. Thanks to a European release, it will receive a real international promotion and will be the soundtrack of the inherent steps of the program (show, exhibition, documentary, film). Produced by famous artists Curse (DE) and Spike Miller (FR), it will gather 20 artists from 12 different countries. The album will be out early 2011. A show: Not just a plain concert, but rather a unique and innovating show that will be directed by Franck II Louise, a famous choreographer. The show will be created with the 20 Diversidad artists to present the Diversidad album’s tracks. It will remain faithful to the origins of the urban culture while opening up to new artistic forms. A special stage set designed for Diversidad will bring an original atmosphere to the event. The premier of the Diversidad show will take place at Eurosonic festival in January 2011 while the tour will go across the main European festivals in summer 2011. A graphic art exhibition: Graffiti, this art considered as « rebel », won its credibility to become a generational indicator that inspires fashion, luxury, the whole society. The advertising boards of European cities will be used for the project. Those pieces of art, exclusively created for Diversidad, will be turn into derivative products to increase the promotion of the project. A movie: On one hand, it will tell the making of the Diversidad program. And on the other, it will show the vivacity of the cultural exchanges that were created between the artists thanks to Diversidad. A website: www.diversidad-experience.com Key tool in terms of communication, the digital platform allows to be Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 3 constantly connected to the Diversidad world. The website provides up to date information on Diversidad’s development. A Facebook page hosts the interactions between European users through artistic exchanges and collaborations. It is the meeting place for the web community created around Diversidad Diversidad actions schedule: • End of March –April 2010: Album recording (ICP studio, Brussels) • End of April 2010: Album mix • June 2010: Releasing the first Diversidad single “The eXperience” • From November 2010: Spreading on the internet a series of webisodes about the recording of the album. • December 2010: Releasing the second single “I Got It” • Early 2011: Releasing the Diversidad album • Summer 2011: The Diversidad tour in the main European festivals + the Diversidad traveling graphic art exhibition. Orelsan (FR) & Marcus Price (SE) Mariama (DE) Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 4 The 20 artists of the Diversidad album The Executive producers (MC) CURSE (Germany) Michael Sebastian Kurth started rapping at the age of 10. One thing’s for sure: behind the mic, he goes straight and fast. The technique of hip-hop has no secret for him. He has collaborated with various U.S artists and has already released 7 albums. “German efficiency”, as he likes to say! Along with Cut Killer and Nach, he’s a legend of the European Hip-Hop scene and we’re proud of him to be part of Diversidad. www.curse.de (Beat-maker) SPIKE MILLER (France) Considered as a leader of the hip hop beatmakers « new generation », Spike Miller is influenced by R’n’b, pop, electro & rock. He’s a broad-minded Producer who has found his first inspiration in Dr DRE, Kanye West, Just Blaze and Havoc’s works. Spike Miller’s beats give real energy and inspirations to the artists of the project. It’s proved! www.myspace.com/spikemiller After days of research and listening to hundreds of European artists, we decided to select the following MCs, beat-makers, dj and singer for this second edition of Diversidad. We truly believe they currently represent the best of the Hip Hop scene in Europe thanks to their artistic talent, spirit, creativity and originality. The beat-makers : CHI (Luxembourg) C.H.I is a U.F.O. Instrumentally amazing, each of his compositions tells a different story, creates a special atmosphere and puts you in a different mood. His range goes from darbouka to violin and guitar melodies to the heavy bass of classic hip hop beats. C.H.I: Keep this name in mind, you will soon hear from him. www.myspace.com/minimalchi COOKIN’ SOUL (Spain) Big Size, Zock & Milton are producers. They became famous thanks to their work with The Game, Sean Paul, Soulja Boy, as well as their remixes and valuable mash ups (Amy Winehouse vs Eminem or Nino Bravo vs Notorious BIG). They are also amazing DJ’s and make people bounce from Europe to Japan. www.myspace.com/cookinsoul Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 5 EVERSOR (Greece) Eversor fell in love with hip-hop during the mid 90’s, an era that greatly influenced his music. Today Eversor’s art is at crossroads between classic boom bap and a futuristic, experimental sound. In 2005 he produced tracks for Marc Ecko’s/Atari’s PS2 game “Getting up”, which soundtrack also features Mobb Deep, Busta Rhymes and Rakim. www.myspace.com/eversorphase3 THE DJ : CUT KILLER (France) Cut killer is an exception among the exclusive club of international hip-hop DJs. As a teenager in Paris in the 80’s, he was already obsessed by music and beats when he was carried away by the emerging hip-hop culture. After delivering scratches for the top brass of local rappers and playing himself in the cult movie La Haine, his fame started to grow in France. After he developed the concept of mix-tapes combining new releases from New-York City and freestyle beats from promising French bands, DJ Cut Killer rapidly turned global and media-friendly. He’s simply a legend and it’s an honor to have him in Diversidad! www.myspace.com/djcutkiller The MCs/Singers: REMI & SHOT from ELEMENTAL (Croatia) Elemental are the most popular performers in Croatia. Although influenced by jazz, soul, funk and reggae, Remi and Shot remain true to their Hip Hop roots. Remi has nothing to learn from anyone, but as an all-around artist she constantly questions her music. She raps aggressively, yet she sings like a Diva. www.elemental.com.hr FRENKIE (Bosnia) From graffiti to rap, there is only one step and Frenkie took it. Since his rookie effort in 1999, Frenkie grew up to be one of the Balkan’s most famous and influential rappers, thanks to his fast rapping skills and his powerful lyrics. www.myspace.com/frankdatenk GMB (The Netherlands) GMB is a multi-skilled artist blessed with an incredible flow, a great sense of musicality and an impeccable technique. He sings high, he raps fast, tells stories about love, social injustice and about the struggle of growing up in the streets of Rotterdam. On stage, he delivers a subtle mix of soul and energy. www.myspace.com/gmbonline Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 6 LUCHE from CO’SANG (Italy) Luchè from Co’Sang: Charisma, nonchalance, Neapolitan language, a sharp flow and realistic lyrics. What’s left to say? Luchè is irresistible and unbeatable. www.myspace.com/cosang MARIAMA (Germany) Born in Freetown, living in Cologne, loving Paris, singing in English, Mariama’s music is centered on the manifold senses and life situations. Joy, melancholy or pain, loving or desperation, her own story or the one of others – everything finds its place in her songs, which are always borne by her vocals and her guitarplay. www.myspace.com/listentomariama MARCUS PRICE from FATTARU (Sweden) Marcus is an eclectic artist. Raised in Jazz music, he came to hip hop with his brother and formed Fattaru. Also a DJ and a producer moving toward styles like electro, tech bass, grime, dancehall, Marcus has many tricks up his sleeve. www.myspace.com/marcusrapmanprice MC MELODEE from LA MELODIA (The Netherlands) Led by charismatic artist Melodee, La Melodia is one of Europe’s most promising bands. An incredible flow, a husky voice, an amazing energy on stage: La Melodia debunks the myth of hip hop not being a female art! www.myspace.com/lamelodiamusic NACH (Spain) He’s got the flow, he’s got the voice and he’s got the charisma. He’s got a sharp technique and strong lyrics. He’s part of Spain’s Hip-Hop community since 1991, and he’s now one of the most solid MCs in the country. No need to say more. Just listen. www.myspace.com/nachofficial Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 7 ORELSAN (France) Often considered as subversive, Orelsan is an unsuspected genius. His smart and clever lyrics fuel a new approach to rap music. He represents a new, very promising generation of French Hip-Hop. Orelsan: you will remember this name. www.myspace.com/orelsan PITCHO (Belgium) Born in Congo, Pitcho moved to Europe in 1981. Far from his roots, he soon turned to Hip hop culture to build an identity of his own. Good pick: 5 albums later, he’s one of the most acclaimed artists in Belgium – he’s been awarded not only for his music but also for his slam and theatre performances. Pitcho considers himself more as an artist than only a rapper. www.myspace.com/pitchomusic RIVAL (Belgium) Active in the hip hop scene since the late 80’s, Rival was discovered through graffiti before releasing his 1st album in 1999. Rival, now one of his country’s most respected rappers, considers that hip hop is about friendship and brotherhood. Through his lyrics and voice tone, he shows a great sensibility. www.myspace.com/rivalcnn VALETE (Portugal) Since his debut in 1997, Valete has grown to become one of the most famous and respected rappers in Portugal. Lately his notoriety has spread overseas, from Africa to Brazil. A fast and smooth voice, a sharp technique and a great artistic sensibility are Valete’s assets. He’s an extremely intelligent artist, gifted with an incredible flow. www.myspace.com/valete115 Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 8 The recording of the Diversidad album live from the ICP studio (Brussels, March 2010) by Stephan Szillus (Editor-in-chief, Juice Magazine, Germany) ICP recording studios, southeast of historic downtown Brussels. In the lounge, journalists from Germany, Sweden and France are inhaling the atmosphere of a unique musical project. Twenty artists from twelve European countries have been here for a week to record an outstanding hip hop album which will be followed by a festival show tour, a community website and a graphic art exhibition. GMB (NL), Spike Miller (FR), CHI (LU), Meche (FR), Rival (BE) The Pan-European vibe on this project is beyond impressive; its innovative force affects anybody who gets the honor of being able to spend a couple of hours in the building. Brainchild of French activist Laurence Touitou, the ambitious project was launched in 2008 by the European Music Office, a non-profit organisation representing the professional music sector to the European institutions and managing international music projects. It is an impressive example of how hip hop culture can bring people together, regardless of different nationalities, ethnicities, generations, social backgrounds, religions and languages. In choosing the artists for the album project, Ms. Touitou was assisted by her colleague Aurelia Biolatto. „Of course the selection of rappers and producers was affected by my personal, subjective taste“, she admits openly. „But mostly I wanted to pick artists with different styles that I thought would complement each other well – from fast-paced, technical MCs to more melodic rappers and even singers.“ In this mind state, artists from twelve different European nations were picked, for example Rival from Belgium, Curse from Germany, Orelsan from France, Nach from Spain, La Melodia from the Netherlands and Frenkie from Bosnia – and these are only some of the most popular examples. At the same time, the Diversidad team picked four composers and producers to design and implement the beats for the album: Cookin Soul from Spain, Eversor from Greece, C.H.I. from Luxembourg and Spike Miller from France, the latter having already produced for platinum recording artist Rohff in his home country. Both Spike Miller and executive producer Curse set a high value on the album not relying solely on being well intentioned, but to be a competitive product which proves the richness and innovation of urban culture throughout Europe. „I don’t believe in some kind of language barrier“, Ms. Touitou explains. „As soon as you hear the flow and the music, you will understand what the artist is trying to get across. This is exactly the beauty of hip hop – that you don’t need to understand every single word to feel what the music is about.“ And she is definitely right – if you listen to the songs on the Diversidad album, you will see that you don’t need to actually speak another language to feel with your heart what the music is telling you. Being a guest in the studio, it was impressive to see how artists with completely different backgrounds were able to compromise themselves, move towards each other and exchange ideas in a way that led to incredible creative potential. Working in the ICP studio complex in Brussels was a major benefit to the project. All twenty artists were able to directly connect to each other, to socialize and work together in a creative space that allowed them maximum freedom. In the first floor, the producers were creating beats and song layouts on their workstations, then moving them down to the ground floor where the rappers and singers were able to listen, write and record to those beats. All producers involved in the project are masters of their craft, each one representing a slightly different style within the urban universe. Together they were able to create a timeless, yet still contemporary aesthetic for the album which is currently slated for a physical and digital release in early 2011. Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 9 Between now and 2012, the Diversidad team has some other cardinal projects in the making: They will conceive a unique and multidisciplinary show with the artists featured on the Diversidad album and the help of other urban artists like musicians, dancers, choreographers and DJs. This show will tour throughout European festivals and capitals from Sweden to Spain during the year 2011. A travelling graphic art exhibition presenting different interpretations of graffiti and street/urban art will follow the festival tour and album release. Last but not least, a digital platform will be set up as a social network, communication tool Valete (PT), Mariama (DE), GMB (NL) and news update site: www.diversidadexperience.com Diversidad is supported by the European Commission, and due to this support this one-of-a-kind project exists. It is not only capable of overcoming the so-called language barrier, but it is also designed to create a true creative exchange between subcultural leaders all over Europe. It has the potential of being a stepping stone in the growth of a Pan-European urban scene relying on cultural values like „peace, unity, love and havin’ fun“, as hip hop icon Afrika Bambaataa once put it. Diversidad is not just an album, a show, an exhibition or a website – it is the idea of a unified Europe transcending its stereotypical historical barriers through intercultural dialogue. In its essence, it is the dream of a better tomorrow. Somes quotes by journalists attending the album recording: “It is an impressive example of how hip hop culture can bring people together, regardless of different nationalities, ethnicities, generations, social backgrounds, religions and languages.” Stephan Szillus, Editor in Chief, Juice Magazine, Germany « Diversidad is a unique and inspiring peace project which I, as a music journalist, hiphop head and linguistics aficicionado follow with utmost interest. » Nanushka Yeaman, music journalist, Dagens Nyheter, Sweden « Diversidad rend possible l'impossible. Et donne à travers le hiphop – un des mouvements musicaux les plus importants de ces trente dernières années – une image positive et énergisante de l'Europe urbaine. » Philippe Manche, Le Soir, Belgium The 20 artists of the Diversidad album Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 10 THE EXPERIENCE First single of the Diversidad album Released on June 21, 2010 as free download on: www.diversidad-experience.com Watch the music video eXperience »on: www.diversidad-experience.com Facebook Youtube Vimeo Dailymotion Myspace of « The Diversidad is the Spanish word for diversity. In case of the same-titled musical project initiated by the European Music Office (EMO) and supported by the European Commission, it’s not an empty phrase, but a way of living, thinking and – even more importantly – creating. To celebrate the diversity of urban music, styles and culture throughout Europe is the main aim of this ambitious artistic melting pot. In the spirit of cultural exchange, 14 different artists have come together in a recording studio in Brussels to combine Meche (FR), CHI (LU), DJ Cut Killer (FR) their different vocal stylings over an uplifiting musical background provided by premier league beatmaker Spike Miller from France. Spike Miller’s instrumental for Diversidad’s single, The eXperience, is a state-of-the-art production which can compete against any hit single on urban radio right now. The mixture of innovative drum programming, atmospheric synth chords and attacking strings is as multifaceted as the national and cultural backgrounds of the artists that are rapping and singing on top of it. In four minutes, the listener is carried from the smooth accentuation of Spanish or Swedish over the familiar sounds of English and French to the more harsh linguistics of German, Bosnian and Croatian. »Different rivers flow together«, sings Freetown-born, but Cologne-based artist Mariama in a catchy hook that resembles current R&B club smashers while still sounding characteristic and recognizable. The song is the perfect anthem for open-minded hip-hop lovers all over Europe. Even if you don’t understand every single word or line, you are immediately captured by the transnational vibe on this superb musical piece which clearly stands out from the current boring Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 11 pabulum out there. The vision of the project »Diversidad« is to actively overcome language barriers and cultural stereotypes and to be a stepping-stone on a way to an exchange and unification of different urban music scenes in Europe. But despite all ideological super structure, the main focus on this project is musical quality. Being the executive producers of the project, German hip-hop artist Curse and French beatmaker Spike Miller supervised the recording and made sure every single element fits in its predetermined place. The eXperience is only the appetizer for a whole album that was recorded during two prolific weeks in the spring of 2010 that the artists spent in a recording studio in Brussels, Belgium. 20 different artists from 12 different countries speaking 9 different languages came together to create a masterpiece that is destined to be an integral part in the Diversidad movement. The music on the album sounds as diverse as the artists involved in its creation: There's straight-forward hip-hop songs, uptempo club tracks, a reggae tune, an urban pop ballad, a song with a kind of freestyle character and lots of different musical influences to be heard. All in all, the album showcases that urban music is a melting pot of musical styles and not a prefabricated box with rigid boundaries. The 14 MCs featured on the single The eXperience produced by Spike Miller (France), scratch by DJ Cut Killer (France) : • MC Melodee from La Melodia (Netherlands) • Frenkie (Bosnia) • Curse (Germany) • Orelsan (France) • Mariama (Germany) • Remi and Shot from Elemental (Croatia) • Rival (Belgium) • GMB (Netherlands) • Marcus Price (Sweden) • Valete (Portugal) • Luche from Co Sang (Italy) • Nach (Spain) • Pitcho (Belgium) Some first figures since the release of the single end of June : • • • The music video has been watched more than 200 000 times on the internet. The single has been downloaded by more than 15 000 people. Our number of fans from our Facebook page is reaching the 5800 fans http://www.facebook.com/diversidadexperience Promotion: • • • Check the first main articles published by the European print media on : http://www.diversidadexperience.com/media The eXperience’s music video is already broadcasted on TV in some European countries : France : MTV & MTV Base / Greece : YO MTV / Italy : Deejay TV & MTV / Portugal : YO MTV The experience is broadcasted on the following radio stations: -1Live (Germany) -FM Brussel (Belgium) -Radio 3 & Radio 5 (RTVE/ Spain) -Radio Popolare / RAI 2 (Italy) -Antena 3 / Radio Oxigenio (Portugal) -Metropol (Sweden) -FunX (The Netherlands) -Hrvatski Radio Karlovac (Croatia) Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 12 Diversidad’s first edition: 2008 Diversidad was launched in 2008 by the European Music Office (www.emo.org) thanks to the support of the European Commission. A dozen of European artists recorded a single and proved that despite the language barrier and the different cultural backgrounds, exchanging and collaborating together is possible. Following this successful experience, the European Commission decided to renew its support to the European Music Office to develop an ambitious 3-year Diversidad program. The Diversidad original partners maintain their involvment in the project for the second edition : Association Diversités (FR), Cultura Urbana (ES), Buma Cultuur (NL), Fondazione Arezzo Wave (IT), Hip Hop Connection (AT), Kulturarena Veranstaltungs GmbH (DE) These partners are the perfect network to promote Diversidad on a European level as they will be Diversidad’s ambassador in each of their country. In 2008, Diversidad produced different actions in some European cities (Paris, Barcelone, Berlin, Madrid, Stockholm, Lyon, Vienne) : • Recording a single : produced by Spike Miller (FR), Scratch by DJ Cruzfader (PT), Artists : Abd al Malik (FR), Akhenaton/IAM (FR), Baloji (BE), Curse (DE), Mucho Muchacho/7 Notas 7 Colores (ES), Nikkfurie/La Caution (FR), Noora Noor (NO), Promoe/Looptroop Rockers (SE), Sam The Kid (PT), Shurik’n/IAM (FR). • Some concerts with: Abd al Malik (FR), Akhenaton/IAM (FR), Baloji (BE), Curse (DE), Colle Der Fomento (IT), Looptroop Rockers (SE), Nikkfurie/La Caution (FR), Noora Noor (NO), Porta (ES), Sam The Kid (PT), Mucho Muchacho/7 Notas 7 Colores (ES),Texta (AT), DJ Cut Ex (AT), Waxolutionists (AT). A residence and exhibition of graffiti artists: Aroe (UK), Don (FR), Can2 (DE), Nychos (AT), Zenoy (FR). A dj show with: Next Level (BE), Goldfinger Crew (ES), The Disablists (UK), Traumateam (FR), Exodus (GE), Symphonix (AT). Conferences with some European experts about the urban culture. Producing a documentary: showing the enthusiastic involvement of all the participants in the project. • • • • Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 13 A Cultural Project co-organized by European Partners The cultural program Diversidad was launched by the European Music Office thanks to the support of the European Commission. It is co-organized with the music company Derrière Les Planches. • European Music Office (BE) – www.emo.org The European Music Office is an international non-profit association promoting musical diversity and representing the interests of European music professionals at a European and worldwide level. EMO’s main policy consists in setting up a specific EU Programme for music. The European Music Office brings together international and national professional organisations, associations and federations from the music sector within Europe. EMO aims at facilitating the circulation of works, artists and productions, fostering exchanges, co-operation and the mobility of the music professionals, easing public access to new artists and cultures from all over Europe, and encouraging the development of professional organisations in the European music sector. • Derrière Les Planches (FR) – www.myspace.com/derrierelesplanches The artistic agency created in 1999 is dedicated to artist’s management, publishing and record production working with up-and-coming artists as well as chart-topping ones. DLP’s past and current artists include: -M-, Diam's, Vanessa Paradis, Oxmo Puccino, Ariane Moffatt, Manu Larrouy, Benjamin Siksou. In 2009, the European Music Office solicited DLP to coordinate and produce Diversidad’s cultural program. Diversidad benefits from the support of a real European network of cultural promoters that are coorganizing the project. These partners will act as ambassadors of Diversidad in their own country. Their mission will be to host the Diversidad show and to promote the project. • Association Diversités (FR) - www.diversites.org Diversités is an association of creative industries for the promotion of cultural diversity founded in Paris in April 2007. It reunites different fields of the French cultural industries: music, cinema, publishing and the audiovisual communication sectors, as well as producers and writers unions. The French Ministry of Culture and Foreign Affairs are also members of the association and play an important role in its actions. Its goals are to support the cultural industries in developing countries by sharing the expertise and establishing new form of partnerships with commercial companies that wish to make cultural diversity a levy for development and are committed to contribute to the society as a whole in the countries they are located. • Cultura Urbana (ES) - www.culturaurbana.es This multidisciplinary event brings to Madrid the latest trends in hip hop and urban culture. Cultura Urbana Festival started in May 2005 has become Spain´s most important hip hop and urban event. Its line up includes about 50 bands and the festival gathers more than 20 000 festival-goers each year. • Buma Cultuur (NL) - www.bumacultuur.nl Buma Cultuur is a foundation dedicated to the promotion and support of Dutch music. Supported by the Dutch author rights organisation Buma/Stemra, Buma Cultuur initiates and carries out a number of projects in the Netherlands and abroad. Namely the Dutch festival Eurosonic created in 1986 that brings together more than de 15 000 festival-goers, 2600 professionals from the European Music Industry and 140 European journalists. • Fondazione Arezzo Wave (IT) - www.italiawave.com is a non-profit organisation that aims at promoting Italian Music in Italy and abroad. The organisation created the Italia Wave Love Festival more than 20 years ago now taking place in Livorno. There is no other Italian festival with such a big audience (more than 60 000 festival goers in 2009 Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 14 over 4 days) and an International program (more than 200 performances and artists from the 5 continents including concerts, debates, exhibitions and workshops). On top of the best Italian artists, famous international bands performed at the festival such as Moby, Mika, Scissor Sisters, Cypress Hill, The Residents, David Byrne, Sonic Youth, Sinead O’Connors, Ben Harper, Faithless, The Roots, 2manydj’s, etc. • Hip Hop Connection (AT) - www.hiphopconnection.at Non-profit organisation created in 2002 to promote hip hop culture in Austria. It became the biggest urban music promoter in the country by organizing more than 150 concerts and tours with national and international hip hop artists. It developed the main hip hop festival in Austria at the end of May in Vienna that welcomes more than 3000 people each year. Hip Hop Connection also organizes Hip Hop workshops for the youth, has released many compilations and produced theatre plays. • Kulturarena Veranstaltungs GmbH (DE) - www.kulturarena-berlin.de Emblematic cultural centre in Berlin, it owns many different venues whose capacities range from 600 to 9000. Kulturarena produces concerts and other cultural events such as theatre, fashion shows, or clubbing nights. It organises a yearly summer festival in its venues programming pop, rock, electro and urban music. The Diversidad tour across Europe Thanks to its partners Diversidad will be promoted across Europe in different events in 2011. Following the release of the album, the Diversidad show with the 20 artists from the album will tour across Europe in our partner’s festival but also in other events to be confirmed soon. 2010 • January 14-16 - Eurosonic (NL): Press conference • May 15 - Cultura Urbana (ES): Promotion and showcase • July 21 - ItaliaWave Love Festival (IT): Promotion and showcase 2011 • • • • • January 12-15- Eurosonic (NL): Show May - Cultura Urbana (ES): Show May 21- Hip Hop Connection (AT): Show July - Summer Festival at KulturArena (DE): Show Summer festivals: More dates to be confirmed soon Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 15 Who is behind Diversidad? The Diversidad program is curated, directed and produced by a team of professionals who have been involved in the entertainment industry and namely the urban culture for many years. Their expertise and savoir-faire bring a real asset to the making of this ambitious project. Laurence Touitou: Working as an architect in New York in the 80’s, Laurence Touitou was just at the right place to witness the growth of the Hip Hop culture. Back in Paris, she quit her architecture job to produce the first ever Hip Hop show in France’s main TV channel. The show quickly became hugely popular among Hip Hop fans in France and definitely helped build the French urban scene that is today the second biggest market for Hip Hop after the United States. She then went on creating the famous French record label DELABEL with Emmanuel de Buretel. She managed the label for 10 years and produced most of the main French Hip Hop artists (IAM, Tonton David, Alliance Etnik, Oxmo Puccino, the soundtrack for the French movie « La Haine », etc...) along with other mainstream artists such as Neneh Cherry, Placebo, Massive Attack, Keziah Jones, Arno, Rita Mitsouko, Mathieu Chedid, etc... Laurence Touitou is currently heading the conception and artistic direction of Diversidad. Nicole Schluss started working as a Press Attache in the music industry, shortly became Project Manager and later Director of the International Department of Polydor (now Universal) for 7 years. She then joined DELABEL as Marketing and Promotion Director where she helped develop the career of some of the best-selling French artists such as Les Rita Mitsouko, Les Negresses Vertes and emblematic French rappers like IAM, Assassin, TonTon David, etc. In 1999, she created the artistic agency DERRIERE LES PLANCHES (DLP) originally dedicated to artists management. DLP has now evolved to become a full music agency adding publishing and record production to its core activities working with up-and-coming artists as well as chart-topping ones. DLP’s past and current artists include: -M-, Diam's, Vanessa Paradis, Oxmo Puccino, Ariane Moffatt, Manu Larrouy, Benjamin Siksou. In 2009, the European Music Office solicited DLP to coordinate and co-organize the Diversidad cultural program. Jean-François Michel is the European Music Office’s Secretary General, a non-profit organization located in Brussels that represents the interests of the music sector on a European level and launched Diversidad in 2008. Its main objective is the conception and implementation of a European music policy. Jean-François Michel has been active in the music industry for many years. He namely founded The French Music Export Office in 1993. This organization was created at the initiative of the record industry, with the support of public authorities as well as other music trade organizations in France. Jean-François Michel is also the Director of the Association Diversités, a non-profit organization created in 2007, which gathers several creative industry organizations and aims at promoting cultural diversity. Diversités members’ main goal is to share their expertise and know-how in the field of cultural industries. Franck II Louise has been involved in the French Hip Hop scene since its beginning in the early 80’s As a choreographer and composer, he has composed many scores for the cinema and dance shows such as “Drop It!” the choreography that made him famous after an international tour of more than 400 dates including shows at the Avignon festival and the Parisian theater “Palais de Chaillot”, URB Festival (Helsinki), Breaking Convention Festival (London), New York City Center (New York), les Eurockénnes de Belfort (France). Franck II Louise gets his inspiration from the 50’s and 70’s Sci-Fi, the cinema and comics. His dreamlike vision of the urban culture distinguishes his work from the other contemporary choreographers. The Diversidad show will definitely benefit from Franck II Louise innovative and professional direction and choreography. "The individual manages to free him/herself from the codes that the tribe sets up for him and he/she gains true self-confidence while successfully interacting with others." Be Street Magazine: Created 3 years ago and being now available in more than 17 countries, Be Street magazine has become THE reference when it comes to promoting urban culture and all its trends. As in art all repetitions are wack, Be Street has developed an original strategy by creating audacious T-Shirt collections, participating in a unique way to fashion fair trades and organizing innovative exhibitions. Be Street couldn’t only stick to its print version and created a dynamic website providing constant Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 16 information about the latest alternative trends: www.be-street.com. Bordeaux, Paris, or Berlin, just like the big magazines create big events, with already 10 issues published, this tri-monthly publication managed to diversify its offer by organizing a series of parties that took place in the hippest locations. In art as well as in love, the instinct is often enough to make things happen. Be Street always used his spontaneous intuition to highlight the work of the international artists the magazine partners with through outstanding collaborations. Be Street’s expertise in graphic art makes it the ideal curator for the Diversidad art exhibition. Angelo Gopée: Senior Vice President of Live Nation France, Angelo Gopée has been involved in the urban culture as concert producer since the past 20 years. He is the ideal concert producer for the Diversidad show as his understanding of the street culture is deeply rooted in his professional background. Contacts Direction: Jean-François Michel (Diversités) Assistant: Faina Ramdani (Diversités) Administration & Institutional Network: Jean-Marc Leclerc (EMO) Finance & Office Manager: Eric Sasson (EMO) Artistic Direction: Laurence Touitou Artistic Coordination & Artists Network: Aurelia Biolatto Executive Production & Coordination: Nicole Schluss & Matthieu Remond (DLP) European Network & Promotion: Cécile Hambye cecile@diversidad-experience.eu Cell phone: + 33 6 75 04 86 82 Pictures by Mlle Shu www.diversidad-experience.com Diversidad : An Album / A Show / An Exhibition / A Movie / A Web Site Media Kit – September 2010 www.diversidad-experience.com 17